In January 2020, ‘The Angel of the Eternal Gospel’, the panel of the West Screen adjacent to the ‘south’ door, was shattered beyond repair in an act of vandalism. The Cathedral decided that, as the original was impossible to restore, the best immediate response would be to invite new work by artists. The artists might be familiar with Cathedral or completely new to it, but excited by the idea of offering a fresh response to the story of the ‘ Broken Angel’.
The West Screen is a fundamental element of Basil Spence’s conception of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral. It provides a clear wall from which we look out from the nave to the ruined wall of the old Cathedral, and look in from outside towards the new altar and Graham Sutherland’s great tapestry, showing ‘Christ in Glory’.
The original will be consolidated and eventually returned to display in a partial restoration. A full-size drawing study, donated by the artist’s widow, Marigold Hutton, shortly before she died in 2021 will also be restored for display.
Mike Tooby is Advisory Curator for the Broken Angel project, alongside the Cathedral's own arts and events team.
